


Infertility

by AbigailPickardWrites



Series: Here's to the Villains [4]
Category: Rapunzel (Fairy Tale), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Disney, Fairy Tale Retellings, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Infertility, Redemption, Short Story, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:55:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27439930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbigailPickardWrites/pseuds/AbigailPickardWrites
Summary: Mother Gothel (Tangled/Rapunzel)'s story, humanized and explainedTHIS IS NOT A HAPPY STORY
Series: Here's to the Villains [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2004667
Kudos: 1





	Infertility

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Major character death, implied/reference rape, kidnapping, infertility, broken/dysfunctional families, manipulation, murder

The word rang in Alexandria's ears like the beating of a drum. Infertile. Infertile. Infertile. She would never have a child. She would never give birth. She could never be a mother. Never.

The apothecary looked up at Alexandria, removed his tools and put down her skirt. Then he spoke gently, "I'm so sorry, Alexandria. I truly am. But women like you can adopt a child."

"Women like me? You mean poor, widowed, farming women? Women that are destined to be alone? Who would give their child, their baby, to me? Even an orphanage knows better than to pass off a baby to me." Alexandria sat up from the table creaky wooden and smoothed her skirts again. "Women like me. Women too old to have a baby."

The apothecary apologized once more and began cleaning his tools to use on the next patient that came by. Just as he washed off a long and pointy looking one and set it in his box, he spoke once more. "Maybe you could go to another kingdom and make a life. Then someone will allow you a baby."

Alexandria shook her head. "I'm a widow. I can never make a life for myself. But I am leaving the kingdom. I can't stay here, not when you've discovered that I am... infertile."

The apothecary set down a flat, rounded tool with a long stick and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you like, I can keep this private. Confidentiality is important in this kind of work."

She snorted, "Confidential? As if you wouldn't tell your wife. As if she wouldn't tell the ladies at the sewing tournaments. As if they wouldn't tell their husbands. As if the children wouldn't hear. As if those children know how to keep things 'confidential.' As if I won't end up drowning in baked pies by Friday, and warm blankets from the sewing tournament. Nothing in this village is 'confidential,' sir. Thank you, but I am taking my leave."

Alexandria swung her legs from the table, feeling the oak scratch her thighs. She hopped down, adjusted her ruffled clothing once more, took her bag, and left the apothecary's work building. She let the tears fall as soon as she left, sprinting all the way home, past gardens, and startled neighbors, past the ladies that socialized by the well, and past the endless shops. She sprinted up the dirt road to the cottage on the hill and past cows, chickens, and her fields. She shoved the door open, slammed it, and collapsed in a heap of sobs. She would never have a child.

~+~

"Yeah, a flower. It keeps you young. Probably legend, though." Laughed a man at the bar of a pub. Alexandria looked up. A flower? To make you young?

She started over carefully. "Excuse me, but did you say a flower to keep you young?"

The man turned from his friends to speak to her. "Yeah. But looks like you don't need it." He licked his lips and looked her up and down, a predatory gaze burning through her.

"I- thank you, but what else do you know of this flower?" she replied politely. Not punching the burly man seemed like a good approach to the situation.

"I don't know," he stroked a mangled beard, "But maybe I'd have a better memory if you come home with me."

Alexandria was shocked, to say the least. "Absolutely not."

"Ah, come on. I'll pay you!" he said, fishing some coins from his pocket. He slapped them on the table with a loud thump.

"I am not a prostitute. If you're that desperate for a woman, go find one so I can go find this flower." she retaliated through gritted teeth. She may want a child, but there was no way that it would be with this man, even if she was fertile.

The joking laughter in his eyes left completely, leaving a fierce hatred. "That's no way to talk to a man. You're going home with me, whether you like it or not."

"No."

A blur of motion shot towards her and the next thing she knew, she was being forcefully dragged from the pub that she was staying in to keep warm during her travels. The man had an iron grip on her arms, pulling her backward. Some people looked up, but just swapped looks like, "Glad it's not me," and went back to what they were doing.

"STOP! LET ME GO! HELP!" Alexandria yelped, clawing at the flesh on his tattooed arms. Her cries did nothing during. All that was left of her was a pain in the bartender's ears from her blood-curdling screams.

"Poor girl," he muttered to himself, "Shouldn't have told him no."

~+~

Alexandria looked herself over in the mirror. She was completely covered in her black cloak. The tower's construction was finished. The baby was born. The Operation was ready. She could sneak into the palace and steal the new baby girl. The king and queen could always have another baby, she couldn't. Out the window and down the cobblestone road she fled, her footfalls were easy to miss.

As stealthily as a cat, she crept up the side of the castle and leaped over the balcony. Entering the room, she peered down at the little baby with golden curls. How beautiful the sleeping babe looked, and to think, that it would be hers. Her own child to love and nurture.

"Come on, sweetheart," she whispered as she picked up the baby, "We're going home."

Alexandria Gothel was silent as the night that hid her as she fled to the tower in the woods.

~+~

"Rapunzel! Dinner!"

"Coming, mother!"

Alexandria smiled to herself as she ladled soup into two bowls. Chicken noodle, tonight. It smelled delicious, comforting, and warm. It was the simple things that made her smile.

Rapunzel slumped down at the kitchen table and immediately started eating like a rabid animal.

"Slow down, love, you'll make yourself sick." she chided, seating herself at the other end of the table. Alexandria scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it down, and ate.

"I can't, this is my favorite! I'll be fine. Oh, mother, can we talk about something?" Rapunzel's whole demeanor had changed. Alexandria could sense the tension and hesitation radiating from her daughter.

"Rapunzel?" Alexandria set down her spoon, "Rapunzel, are you alright?"

The girl nodded quietly, sucked in a deep breath, and spoke, "I want to leave the tower."

Alexandria froze. "W- What?"

"I want to leave the tower," she repeated.

"Rapunzel, why? Have I not cared for you all these years? Loved you? Fed you? Clothed you? Why do you want to leave me?"

"It's not that I want to leave you," she promised, rushing through her words, "I just want to see the world. I've never left the tower."

"No. Now let's finish our dinner." Alexandria could feel her heart racing. If the guards of the palace found Rapunzel, they'd take her away. Alexandria could not afford to lose the only family she had, especially when she knew she could never have any more children. For years, she had tried to use the flower, but it didn't seem to change infertility. But Rapunzel, Rapunzel had the flower's magic contained within her golden hair. And she had to keep trying to become fertile again, even if there was almost no hope. Of course, Alexandria loved Rapunzel more than she could describe, but the flower was important as well.

Rapunzel stood and left, not saying a word to her mother.

"Rapunzel. Rapunzel, don't be foolish, please come here. Rapunzel?" but her calls were not heard as the distraught daughter went to her room, refusing to finish dinner.

Alexandria sighed and continued to sip her soup, alone.

~+~

"Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Alexandria hollered from the base of the tree. She had returned from a three-day journey for shell paints. She sighed. Rapunzel must be asleep. "RAPUNZEL?"

No answer. Where could she be? Starting to get nervous for her child's safety, Alexandria ran to the side of the tower and pulled loose some stones that covered a door leading to a secret flight of stairs. The desperate mother bolted up the steps in a panic. The tower was dark, and she heard no noise.

"RAPUNZEL? RAPUNZEL WHERE ARE YOU?" Alexandria screamed. She tore around the tower, but it was empty.

Her only child was gone.

Alexandria sunk to her knees, rocking back and forth as she cried. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm sorry I was harsh," she whispered to no one, and yet to everyone, "I'm sorry, please come back, please..."

When she could cry no more tears and the sharp pain has subsided to a dull ache, she picked herself up off the floor to leave, until a glint caught her eye. From under the stairs, a bit of light blinked at her, drawing her forward. Alexandria gripped the board and pulled it up. Inside the hollow stair was a satchel, with a gem peeking out. Gingerly, she withdrew a diadem from within. With gold and many jewels that sparkled in the light slipping in through the window, making vibrant rainbows reflect onto the walls and floor.

"The crown of the princess..." Alexandria whispered. Did she know? She found out she was the princess? "No, no, no this isn't happening!" She darted down the steps of the tower and into the woods. She had to find her daughter before the guards did.

~+~

Exhaustion. That was all that Alexandria Gothel could comprehend she trudged down another lane. Expecting to see nothing more than another road, she was delighted at the sight of a tavern. Finally, a place that will let her rest.

"The Snuggly Duckling. Sounds inviting." She murmured to herself as she read the sign. Alexandria walked towards the door until she saw someone through the window. Someone she knew. "Rapunzel!"

But something was off. She was with a scruffy looking young man and surrounded by thugs, though they didn't seem to be hurting her. She was standing on a table, golden hair cascading down the side and wrapping around nearly the whole room. Everyone was dancing and singing happily as if they didn't have a care in the world. Rapunzel herself looked... content. Excited. Invigorated. Like she had never felt a bit of pain before, and that her new life was perfect.

"I'm so glad I left my tower!" Rapunzel cheered, and the people around her celebrated as well. Why? Why was she so happy with these grotesque strangers, not her mom? What made her love them instead? How could she be so insensitive? Sure, she didn't know Alexandria was there, but that almost made it worse.

Suddenly, two large men came up behind Alexandria. They were nothing if not deadly looking. Smirking, the cunning woman withdrew the tiara from a satchel. Bribery might just get her daughter back.

~+~

There she sat, in a small clearing with a fire. Her ruffian was injured, and she was healing him, looking at him with love. If only he loved her back. Alexandria knew the truth. That man was going to use her. He didn't love her, he was a criminal. All he wanted was to be rich from that crown, Rapunzel was a means to an end.

The man got up and left. Alexandria made her move. "Rapunzel?" she stepped into the clearing carefully, sure not to start the girl.

It didn't work. Rapunzel leaped up and spun around. "M- Mom?"

"Rapunzel, what are you doing out here?" The question said so little, yet so much. "It's dangerous! Come home, sweetheart."

"No. I want to stay with Eugene," she replied, looking hesitant. She stepped back, crossing her arms in the chill of the air.

Alexandria scoffed, "Eugene? That criminal you're running around with? You love him more than your own mother?"

Rapunzel's eyes widened. She stuttered a halfhearted response, biting back tears. "I- I didn't say that. It's... it's just that I love him..."

A mother has one job in this world, one job that is more important than all others. She must do what is best for her child. Even if that does not seem to be what's best to her baby, she must do it. Alexandria knew that. "He doesn't love you back,"

"What?"

"He doesn't love you back. Do you think he really wants you for the amazing, beautiful girl you are? No. All he wants is this," Alexandria withdrew the crown from her bag, holding it up for her daughter to see. The jewels gleamed in the firelight, reflecting the crimson flames. "Once he gets it, you will be nothing but dust to him. Save yourself that pain, darling. Just come home, where I love you, where your things are, where you grew up... just come home,"

"No, because you're wrong!" Rapunzel yelled, balling up her fists, "Eugene loves me! We're meant to be! We're going to get married and have kids and a great life!"

"Really, Rapunzel? How many days ago did you meet this man?"

She froze, mouth hanging open. For a minute, she stood there gaping, before shaking it off. "A little less than a week ago. But it doesn't matter! It's true love!"

"Do you know how foolish you sound? Fine. Maybe it is meant to be. Give him this," Alexandria held up the tiara again, "and see what he does. See if he really loves you. Best of luck, Rapunzel."

Alexandria tossed the tiara into the dirt, where it rolled and fell over on its side. She retreated into the woods, now just a whisper of doubt in Rapunzel's mind.

The daughter stooped to pick up the delicate crown, wondering whether or not her mother was right.

~+~

Alexandria didn't want to do it. She never wanted to cause her daughter pain. But it was for the best. If the guards found her, she would lose a child. There was no way that Alexandria would let them take her daughter. So she did it. She hatched a plan with the thugs she met outside The Snuggly Duckling, determined to do whatever it took to protect herself and her daughter. Everything was in place. The thief was bound to the boat, Rapunzel was coming, and the thugs were prepared. All that remained was the cue for the elaborate show to begin, for the lights to come up, for the audience to watch them. At least, that's how it felt to Alexandria. The scheme felt like a performance. The island was her stage, the people involved were the actors, and she was the star.

The instruments finished warming up, shouts of "5 minutes till curtain!" rang out, the lights flashed, the actors took their places, the A chord sounded, and the show began.

Rapunzel and the Stabbington brothers interacted, the thugs reciting their lines perfectly. Rapunzel reacted as expected, running in fear.

Now for improv. Alexandria knocked out the ruffians, betraying them, and went to Rapunzel. Her daughter ran to her, crying. "You were right. You were right, mother. I never should have- I'm so sorry!"

Alexandria nearly cried as well, holding her close. "It's okay. I love you, I forgive you. Shh..."

End scene.

~+~

Things were good. Alexandria and her daughter were back home, the chicken noodle soup was cooling on the table, and Rapunzel's runaway was a thing of the past. Rapunzel was up in her room taking flowers out of her hair when Alexandria walked in.

She came over and gently helped her, carefully setting the flowers down on the bed. Alexandria stroked Rapunzel's hair as it finally fell loose, cascading down the bed and around the room. Mother held daughter as Rapunzel tried to bite back tears.

"Come on, sweetheart," her mom whispered, "I made chicken noodle soup,"

Rapunzel smiled a bit, pulling back. "I'll be down in a minute,"

"Alright," Alexandria stood, kissed Rapunzel's head, and went downstairs to start serving the soup into bowls.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel stood in her room. Part of her was thankful that the truth about Flynn Rider had been revealed, but part of her wished she had never given him the crown and lived in bliss, even if it was a lie. She knew that it was foolish, but she partly blamed her mother. Was it right of her to expose her to the truth? Yes. But did she wish that this never happened? Very much so.

She thought of all that she learned outside the tower. But as she gazed around the room, she slowly began to come to a realization...

~+~

"Rapunzel! Dinner!" Alexandria called from the small kitchen. She dried her hands on a towel as she walked to the bottom of the stairs leading to Rapunzel's room. "Rapunzel?"

The girl stepped out of her room, holding the tiara. "I'm the lost princess,"

Alexandria felt her heart stop. For a second, the entire world slowed down, then she regained her senses. "W- What?"

"I'm the lost princess, aren't I?"

Alexandria swallowed hard. Images of the night she took Rapunzel flashed through her mind. She remembered the night, so dark and deep. She could recall the stars, blinking down at her. Alexandria could almost see the shadow of the castle, smell the scent of the market, and feel the wind whip around her. She snapped out of her memory and looked carefully at Rapunzel, knowing that she had to tread carefully. No sudden moves.

"Rapunzel, where did you get that idea from?"

"So you're not denying it?"

Alexandria knew what was about to happen. She knew that she was about to lose the child that she fought so hard for. Theft, schemes, running, hard work, dedication, all of it were so that she could finally be a mother, and she was about to lose that precious gift, all because she was so scared of losing her daughter, she forgot that Rapunzel had needs, too. And while she met the needs like food and water, she could never fill the void for socializing, exploring, and having an adventure. She could never be enough.

"You locked me away in a tower! I wasted my whole life!" Rapunzel cried, running her hands through her hair. She started running down the steps, upset.

"To protect you! The guards would have taken you away!"

"Maybe they should have taken me away! You were awful!" Rapunzel cried, rushing away.

Alexandria felt panic swell inside her. She was about to lose the only person she had ever loved because of her poor judgment. In her panic, she said, "Where are you going? That thief is about to be hanged. I'm your mom, Rapunzel. Please hear me out," She reached out to set her hand on Rapunzel's head and stroke her hair in efforts to calm her down, but her daughter caught her wrist.

"Don't touch me! You are never going to use my hair again!" She screamed, grasping Alexandria's wrist tightly.

Deep down, Alexandria knew that being fertile again was nearly an impossibility, but she couldn't afford to stop trying. She couldn't just give up that easily, on fertility or on Rapunzel. In attempts to yank her wrist away from Rapunzel, she fell back and the mirror tipped over, shattering. Rapunzel glared hatefully at her and started walking away.

There was only one thing Alexandria could do to keep her here. One thing, and one thing only: she couldn't play the nice guy anymore.

~+~

The thief swung into the tower after climbing the hair Alexandria had tossed down to him. As he stepped in, she stuck her dagger into his stomach in hopes that he would die quickly. Alexandria knew that it was wrong, but the man was a criminal and she wouldn't let a criminal take her daughter away from her. If she had to kill this man to keep her daughter, she would do it. If she had to restrain Rapunzel so that she would stay, she would to that, too.

Alexandria tried to take Rapunzel away, but it was no use. She kept trying to get to her boyfriend's side, even if they had only met a week ago. She begged and bargained with Alexandria to let her heal the criminal, and her mother finally obliged. All she could feel was guilt as she watched them together. She knew that what she was doing was for the best, but it hurt to do it. Alexandria took no pleasure in hurting the man, or in hurting Rapunzel, but it had to be done.

Agreeing to Rapunzel, she bound the thief so that he couldn't come after them and stood back to let Rapunzel go to him. In one burst of motion, the thug cut the hair that kept Alexandria alive. She felt her life force grow faint, saw her hands become gnarled and old. She stumbled backward, falling out of the tower window, screaming for redemption.

All she wanted was a family, but she was what most would classify as a villain. Villains don't get happy endings. Alexandria's descent finally ended as she turned to dust, nothing but her cloak remaining at the foot of the tower.

The show finished, the actors bowed.

The curtain finally closed.


End file.
